IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Lawrence County, IL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lawrence County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 15,280.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 15,280
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 58.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lawrence County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lawrence County, IL on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 21.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Lawrence County's active designations would take about 22 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.6 primary care, 17 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Lawrence County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Lawrence County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lawrence County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
2 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Lawrence County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
12 Top 15% higher than 85% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 102. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 17101. Population: 15,280.
Single high-priority discipline
Lawrence County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 4 active mental health designations to Lawrence County , with a peak score of 21.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Lawrence County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF -Lawrence Correctional Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Lawrence County Memorial Hospital Primary Care Cli | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Lawrence County Memorial Hospital Primary Care Cli | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Lawrence County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Lawrence County Health Dept Rural Health Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Southern IL Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Lawrence County Health Dept Rural Health Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Lawrence County Memorial Hospital Primary Care Cli | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Lawrence County | dental | 15.0 |
| Lawrence County Health Dept Rural Health Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| CF-Lawrence Correctional Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF-Lawrence Correctional Center | dental | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lawrence County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lawrence County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Lawrence County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lawrence County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 102. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lawrence County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 22 FTE across Lawrence County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Lawrence County's high-priority mental health
Lawrence County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lawrence County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of IL before drawing conclusions from a single score. IL overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Lawrence County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Winnebago County, IL and King County, WA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Lawrence County's 12
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 - the inventory behind the ~22 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lawrence County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lawrence County carries an MUA designation (index 58.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Lawrence County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~22 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (17). "CF -Lawrence Correctional Center" is the highest-scored active row (score 21.0; mental health; 1,183 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/10/2007). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Lawrence County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "CF -Lawrence Correctional Center", "LAWRENCE COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRIMARY CARE CLI", "LAWRENCE COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRIMARY CARE CLI" and "LI - Lawrence County". Discipline counts: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental across 12 designated rows.
- Do Lawrence County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Lawrence County's FTE burden compare inside IL?
- 12 active designations and ~22 FTE published need. Lawrence County falls in the upper quarter of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 102. Score-nearest counties on this release include Winnebago County, IL and King County, WA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17101. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 17101 (Lawrence County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 21.0; signature 22 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.